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WASHINGTON — The Pew Research Center recently asked nearly 12,000 people — selected Internet
experts and members of the public — to predict how the network of connected devices, sensors and
electronics known as the “Internet of things” might affect their lives.

They raised two major concerns: first, that consumers will need to actively protect the data
generated by their devices, and second, that the Internet of things might create a “digital divide”
between the tech-savvy and new users.

Of the 12,000 people canvassed by Pew, about 1,900 responded. They were asked whether they
thought the Internet of things would have widespread and beneficial effects on the everyday lives
of the public by 2025 (83 percent said yes), what potential barriers to adoption are, and where the
commercial and social applications would be, among other open-ended questions.

The Internet of things has attracted interest from tech giants such as Cisco, Intel and General
Electric, which all have dedicated business units to developing the sensors and processing the data
the network would generate.

Consumers are gradually buying into the trend — wearable devices such as fitness trackers and
Google Glass are starting to appear in public, and smartphone users are becoming more comfortable
with controlling household appliances from their phones.

Pew’s Internet research department has conducted similar surveys related to the potential impact
of broadband Internet access, mobile devices and social media, said Lee Rainie, director of Pew’s
Internet & American Life Project.

Although responses to the canvass were speculative, “The expert community is sort of sending
signals to the policy community that these concerns are not necessarily going to be resolved by the
market,” he said.

Some made the case for better protection of consumer data.

“There’s generally this sense that consumers aren’t too terribly aware of the dimensions of the
surveillance,” Rainie said.

The network could lead to users’ being continuously monitored by health devices, traffic
management, security controls and other sensors, some argued.